Avatar Last Airbender: The Fire Nation Prince (Zuko romance)
by Kittykellie
Summary: Mieko is a fiery, spunky, strong, and bad ass girl who has come across the prince on more than one occasion, and even grows close to him. Can she help him? Or does her destiny lie with helping the Avatar? She has a lot of choices to make, will she listen to her heart?
1. Fire Nation Prince

**The Fire Nations Prince**

' _clink. clink. clink. clink'_ Fire nation boots tap the metal beneath me. I can feel my warm breath against my face with every breath I take; the only relief are those narrow slits in the mask. Sure, fire nation guard uniforms were practical, very protective, they even look pretty cool. They didn't feel that comfortable, though. I glance all around me before I open a large metal door, it squeaks only a little, but still, I freeze, my hand gripping the handle tightly. I glance behind me. I'm not where I'm supposed to be, I know this, and one slip, will certainly blow my cover. I slip inside the room.

I know for the most part where I'm going; I've been on this ship for a while. I certainly had no idea I would end up on the fire lord's son's ship though, that's an obstacle I'm working around. My grey eyes scan the room, there. There it is, I swiftly step towards the table in the center of the room with a map laid out. The four nations, color coded. Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. My eyes hungrily take in the details. Kyoshi Island, there's a marker there. Must be our destination, but why? What's on Kyoshi Island? I hear faint voices and nearly trip over my own feet trying to exit the room quietly and quickly. I'm out of the door, but I see Iroh and his nephew, prince Zuko, round the corner and start down this hall way.

I need to think fast. They haven't seen me exit the room, I just need to play it cool, and pass them, as if I'm patrolling the ship. I take in a deep breath; I can feel my palms sweating. "Conceal." I demand myself. I straighten up, and start walking directly toward the two. Iroh is making pleasant conversation, but Zuko has his eyes locked on me. Does he know? As we grow closer and closer, his eyes don't move. I have no choice now; I keep heading toward them until we are passing each other. "Soldier." Zuko says, emotionless. I stop dead in my tracks. "Did I tell you to patrol here?" I hear Zuko hiss. My heart stops. I lower my voice as low as I can go, still sounding like a teenage boy in puberty, and muster up the best excuse I have. "Thought I heard a noise, sir." He narrows his eyes, "Back on deck." The prince demands. I nod, bow, and continue on as I watch the two head toward the room I had just abandoned moments earlier.

I duck back behind a wall, waiting until the two enter the room. As silently as I can, I'm heading back down the hall. I had just narrowly escaped, yet I yearned to learn more. I stop outside the door, I hear the voices. "This door was not open, uncle." Zuko's voice growls angrily. "Always so quick to accuse others, Nephew. Everything is fine and in order here." Iroh replies. "Now that we know where the Avatar is, we need to get to Kyoshi as quickly as we can." Zuko begins. The Avatar? He's been gone for 100 years… what is Zuko talking about? I hear shuffling in the room, I don't take my chances, and I exit the hallway back onto deck quickly. I spend the rest of the day patrolling like the rest of these dummy guards. Ugh.

Night falls, and I spot Zuko training. My eyes glow with interest, I smile beneath my mask. I duck behind a wall, removing the mask, and peeking out at him. The fire moves smoothly, my hand grows warm. A flame grows In my palm, beautiful as ever. I smile at it, watching him shoot the flames; I try to soak in his energy. I try my best to mimic his moves. Some of them come out perfect, other moves, need improvement. This is how I've been learning from a young age. With the exception of a man back in the fire nation who would teach me in secret. When Zuko is finished, I slink off into the ship once more.

 _I wake in a storage closet._ My thick, jet black hair is going in every direction. I sit up and begin running my figures through my long locks, parting the bangs over to the side as they usually are. I rub my eyes, and pull my hair up into a high ponytail, I can hear voices of other soldiers walking down the hallway to reach their patrolling areas. Must be morning. I pull on the Fire Nation Guard uniform, putting the helmet and mask on last. I dust my pants off before opening the door, where I freeze in my tracks. Prince Zuko is standing 2 feet in front of me, his gaze locked onto me. His eyes narrow. "What the hell are you doing in the storage closet?" This wasn't a question, this was a demand. I'm so shocked; I can't say anything for a moment. I shrug. Why did I do that? "Get back to work!" He nearly shouts. I exit the room and quickly head for deck.

Once I'm on deck, I begin to wander; I'm not really sure where I'm supposed to be. I turn around, only to see the prince's angry glare examining me. "What is your name." He demands, "I…" I start, my voice is feminine, I correct myself, sounding boyish once more, "Uh.. " I stammer. "Tell me your name!" He nearly shouts. He is starting to draw the attention of other guards. Iroh looks up from his Pai Sho game. "Sho…" I stammer. His eyes narrow more. "Remove your helmet." He demands. "Zuko…" Iroh begins, "Quiet Uncle." He says without looking to his uncle. I clench my jaw; this guy is really getting on my nerves. "Remove your helmet, now." He says quieter, yet his tone is dangerous.

Without thinking, my hands move to my helmet, and remove it. The air touches my pale skin, it feels nice. The wind blows my hair out of my face, I star at him defiantly. "A woman guard named Sho." He says, almost sarcastically. "Who are you." He demands, His hands clenched into fists. I use my regular voice, the feminine smooth sound leaves my lips, "Mieko. I am not your guard." I say, anger gripping the last word. "It was you who was in the map room!" He shouts, his hands glow as fire engulfs each of his hands. He takes a swing, sending fire barreling toward my face. I easily dodge it, pulling my hands up in fighting stance. I send a round house kick his way; he's barely able to block it.

"What are you doing here!" He shouts, sending more fire at me. I'm just barely able to dip to the side, and as I return, I send a fist at him, and this time, I connect. I hit him square in the mouth; he stumbles in surprise, like he wasn't expecting it to hurt. He growls in anger, and a wall of fire is coming for me so quickly, I have no choice. I let out a grunt as I pull my hands out in front of me, stomping the ground and moving my arms apart, I tear the fire wall in half, I'm angry now. "Traitor!" He's shouting, that's when I create a fire around me so huge, I almost feel as if I will fall over. It's nearly 15 feet high, wild, untamable. I look at my hands, trying to clench them to control the flame, but it's too strong. "… A fire bender…" I here Zuko quietly say in shock. I grunt even louder, trying to tame the flame. His arm is in front of his face, I send the fire shooting toward him, and the guards, and Iroh, in every direction. I see red, I can't control anything, and the anger is crawling over my whole body, consuming me. My heart is pounding, I'm seething, and nothing can stop it. When my vision clears, I see him. Prince Zuko takes one large step forward moves his arm swiftly, and a flame barrels out, hitting me square in the chest. I'm knocked off of my feet, and onto my back, the air leaving my lungs. I feel a burning on my chest for a few moments.

Zuko and Iroh stand above me, I'm struggling to breath. "Take her to her cell." Zuko demands. My vision begins to go black, and that's the last thing I remember.


	2. Slave to the Fire Nation

**Slave to the Fire Nation once more**

I awaken to a blurry vision of metal bars; they seem to be wobbling, although I'm certain it's just me. A burning sensation is flooding over my chest; I gasp for air and move a hand to my chest gingerly, slowly looking down. A hole is burned into my fire nation's outfit; a large, bright red circle in the center of my chest shows an angry burn mark. It won't scar, but it will take some time to heal, and it hurts like a bitch in the meantime. I nearly growl under my breath from irritation, though, I'm startled by a voice. "Ah, you're awake! Don't worry, we will get you some warm tea and salve for your burn." Iroh says, I'm nearly startled by his kindness. I tried to kill his nephew and actually, him as well. I say nothing in return. Instead, I prop myself up against the wall, stretching one leg out in front of me, and resting my elbow on the other leg bent close to my chest.

Zuko appears, he stands in front of the bars. "Who are you." He demands an answer. "I told you. I'm Mieko."(My-ee-ko) I say, monotone. I'm tired of this interrogation already. "Why are you here?" He sounds agitated, but is that really new? "Sneaking around my ship." He adds. I sigh, debating on whether to answer truthfully or not. There doesn't seem to be a reason to lie, "The life I lived in the fire nation wasn't suitable to me, so I opted to leave. It wasn't a choice I was given, so I had to stow away on a ship, and it so happens, that I unfortunately chose your ship." I say this as if none of it meant anything to me. As if those were just facts of life. I nearly smirk at the end; it's somewhat humorous that I happened to get myself onto Prince Zuko's ship. "You're a fugitive." He questions. "No." I answer back just as quick. "You're a traitor, that's why you're leaving the Fire Nation." He questions again. "No." I answer back, "The Fire Nation is a traitor to themselves." I announce boldly. He's shocked, "How dare you!" He nearly shouts. "Zuko, there's no need to treat her this way, she is a fire bender, like us. We could use her help." Iroh is calmly speaking to the young prince, but he seems too angry to listen. "What are you talking about uncle!?" Zuko cries, his narrowed eyes moving from me to Iroh. "Did you see the power she possesses? That incredible power can be used to aid us in our journey." Iroh continues. I scoff and roll my eyes, though I say nothing. "She can't even control her bending! How is that power!?" Zuko exclaims in shock. My mood turns sour real quick, just because I wasn't some rich kid who had all the trainers I could ever wish for, didn't make me a bad bender. In my opinion, I was better for it, I had to learn the hard way, had to teach myself with little help from anyone. I avert my gaze to the tiny window in my cell, massive bars closing off any chance of escape. "Yes, but with training, she very well could be a powerful bender. With her on our side, we can capture him." Iroh says in a soothing voice. "I'm not training her." Zuko pouts, "Who says I want you to?" I can't help myself. "Easy now, you two. We can work together to help her control her fire bending, we will be unstoppable." Iroh says, but when he says this, I don't sense any hunger for power. It sounds more sweet, and gentle, as if he expects us to be friends. I scoff at the thought. The handsome Fire Nation Prince, becoming friends with a lowly, angry, water benders daughter. I turn away, "Do I have a choice." Zuko sighs, Uncle Iroh chuckles, shaking his head slowly, "No."

Zuko turns to leave, "Zuko! Don't you think we should provide our guest with a more suitable room and clothing?" Iroh pipes up quickly; Zuko tosses Iroh the keys without another word, and disappears. "Forgive my nephew, he means well." Iroh says, unlocking my door. I glance down at my shirt, pulling the scraps of cloth up around my chest the best I can. "Right." I say sarcastically. Of course the thought of attacking Iroh crossed my mind, but he seemed so kind, and if I was being honest with myself, I wanted to learn to control my fire bending a little better… Even if it meant I had to learn from these two guys. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of anger and despair cross over me, I was a slave to the fire nation once again… at least it felt that way. I sighed and followed Iroh down a few hallways. He stops at a metal door, and pushes it open. It's a small room; a twin bed sits to the left, a wooden desk, and a dresser sits to the left. There's a small mirror on the back wall and a chair, and a door beside the chair that lead into a small bathroom. A familiar bag of clothing sits on the bed. "We found this bag in the storage room, figured it belonged to you." Iroh says gently. I nod, and enter the room. "I'll leave you to get ready; I'll have tea in the kitchen if you'd like some." He says before he leaves.

I nearly sprint to the bathroom. I slam the door shut and examine my burn, its angry red, but it will heal. "Jerk." I mutter to myself. I strip off those horrid clothes and climb into the shower, turning the water on cold as it gently sprinkles onto my burn. I immediately feel pain shoot through my chest, "Ugh." I grunt, but I have to let the water continue, until the pain fades and it finally feels soothing. I get out, wrap up in a towel, and head over to the bag on my bed. I first wrap my chest in a little cotton cloth for my burn. I pull out a black shirt that stops before my abdomen, it has metal plated shoulders, and very little plating on my chest. Then I pull out the pants I had brought. They're a charcoal black color, with thin, black plating down the sides, and pretty tight on my legs, making them easier to fight in. I pull them on and again, return to the mirror. I brush my hair, examining myself. There hadn't been much time to work out on this ship, but still, I remain built and muscular, my abs are displayed perfectly with this outfit, I even had muscular arms and legs. It was how I preferred it, not only for looks, but for combat as well. I still looked feminine, though I never much thought about it. My blue eyes seem to stand out against my light skin and dark hair, something I gained from my mother. I pulled on my black fire nation boots. I added a tad of a darker red lip cream, to make my lips extra red against my pale skin, before I turned to leave the bedroom.

I entered the deck, spotting Zuko training once more. I felt irritation build inside me. He doesn't recognize me. The damn fool. I shake my head. "Ah, there you are." Iroh says, I nearly jump into the air, I had no idea he was there! I raise an eyebrow, "I don't believe we've been formally introduced, my name is Iroh. And that is my nephew, Prince Zuko." His words sound as if they were dipped in honey; he just had this gentle aura about him, which never ceased to surprise me. It was unusual of a fire bender to be this way, especially the brother of the fire lord. My gaze drifts to Zuko who uses a kick to shoot fire, his arms close to his sides. "I'm Mieko." My voice sounds softer and more feminine than I had expected, I guess Iroh had that effect on me. My eyes greet his; a bright smile is on his face, a cup of tea in hand. I can't help but let a small smile play on my lips in return. "You!" I hear a shout, my head whips in Zuko's direction. "How about some proper training then. Fight me!" He nearly demands. I feel my face grow hot, but I'm not flattered. I'm angry. "Zuko maybe it's too soon…" Iroh starts. "Enough Uncle, she can't get better if she doesn't train." He sounds harsh. My blood boils in my veins, "Is it me who needs to get better, or the spoiled brat?" My words leave my lips before my mind can grasp the meaning. He's underestimating me. "Maybe the one who lost last time." He answers, and edge crept into his voice.

I pull my hair into a high pony tail, the bangs falling out, which I sweep to the side. We both walk toward center deck without another word. He pulls off the small vest he's been wearing, leaving him in just his fire nation pants and boots. For a moment the world seems still as we look at each other, but I can still feel fire building inside me. I spot his shoulder twitch, I immediately move before he even gets his punch near me, I spin, letting fire escape my hand when I'm facing Zuko again. He jumps back, holding an arm up, his forearm taking the blow. He fires back with a round house, fire headed right for me. I do a back hand spring, avoiding the flames. I jut my arm forward with an open palm, fire blasting out perfectly, aiming right at him. He knocks it to the side with a fist, the flame vanishing. He sends a flame right back, and this continues for several minutes. He's panting now, though he tries to hide it. My hand lights up a long, whip like flame that extends from it. I jerk back, and then whip forward, sending the flame directly at him, and this time, I make contact. I hear him shout, "Gah!" He sounds angry, a red mark immediately crossing his cheek, he dive rolls forward, and as he gets back to his feet, he launches his arm forward, sending a flame at me so fast I can't dodge it, I place my hands together, and out in front of me, the flames race down each sides of my arms, I can feel it burning. I let out a small cry. That's when I close the gap between us. It's time for hand to hand combat, I know I can win. I swing a fist, he throws his arms up, I drop down on my haunches and throw a kick, I connect with the back of his legs, and he's knocked onto his back. I rise to my feet, Jumping over him, drawing a fist back, it's glowing with fire, I see the pure look of shock on his face, I'm ready to throw my last punch, when I'm knocked back onto my ass. "That's enough for today." Iroh is smiling sweetly. Did… did he just pull me by the back of my shirt onto my ass?

Zuko sits up quickly, "Uncle I wasn't finished! You didn't have to stop us!" He's angry. I'm grinning wickedly, "Someone had to save you." I remark. Steam rises off his body, He lets out an angry shout. My face grows hot, but I'm not angry. I'm not sure why I feel this way, so I rise to my feet and head to the edge of the ship without another word. I gaze out into the water, letting a flame dance around my fingers. Sometimes I can control my fire bending perfectly… other times… it's impossible, and I end up hurt. I've burned myself numerous times, I've lit things on fire, I've burned down a building, and it was abandoned at least… but still. I let out a soft sigh, pulling my hair from its pony tail; it falls down past my shoulders. I hear feet stop beside me. I adjust my gaze to Zuko. "It was a good fight, but you need to learn to control your bending." He says. I eye him, he isn't angry or rude. "Says the guy who lost." I retort, He makes a fist, "I didn't-" He starts, "Ugh!" He shouts. "Yeah well, I didn't have a teacher like you did." I add. "I can show you." He says, sounding calm once again. I'm startled, so I lift my arms from the edge of the ship and stand straight to look at him, confusion lacing my eyes. "…That's the point of you being here, isn't it?" He continues. I nod quickly, "Right." I reply.

If I didn't know any better… I gained some respect from Prince Zuko after that fight. I smirk at the thought, his eyebrow raises. "Zuko! Kyoshi Island is just ahead!" I hear the lookout shout. Zuko and I both turn at the same time. There it was. Kyoshi Island.


	3. Kyoshi Island & The Air Bender

**Kyoshi Island Warriors and the Air Bender**

I feel the boat lurch as it's docked onto land, my hands gripping the sides of the ship in anticipation. Prince Zuko has gone to prepare long ago, I had barely noticed he was gone. Thoughts race through my mind, finally, some solid ground. "Stay here." I hear the familiar Prince's voice command; he passes by me without so much as even a glance. "What?" I hear anger seep into my voice. "Do not leave this ship." He says again, stopping to adjust his shoulder plate. "I'm going with you." I demand. "No." He says, my hand forms a fist, I feel anger rise to my chest. Iroh comes up behind Zuko, I ignore him. "Then what's the point of me even being here?" I spit out. Zuko's gaze finally lands on me, "Zuko, she has a point." Iroh adds. "What if she tries to escape?" Zuko thinks out loud. Iroh turns his gaze to me, "She won't, and I'll keep an eye on her. And if she does, she simply won't have a fire bending teacher as good as you anymore." He speaks the last part with a chipper tone and smile. I roll my eyes and cross my arms, I don't need a baby sitter, and my fire bending's fine. "She will get away with her crimes." Zuko snorts, "What crimes?" I shoot back. "You stowed away on my ship." Zuko narrows his eyes, "Alright alright, we are wasting time. Let's go." Iroh interferes. Zuko and I stare at each other for a long moment before we turn to exit the ship.

A long bridge is dropped onto shore and we head down into the town. Zuko begins making demands, commanding the town's people to tell him where 'the Avatar' is. I nearly roll my eyes. Right. Suddenly, a home is bursting into flames at Zuko's hands; I take a step back in shock. "What are you doing!?" I nearly shout at him. "What's necessary to find the Avatar." Zuko spits. I spot a woman in green holding two fans, she's charging me quick. There are more of them coming toward us. Everything's happening so quick, more houses go up in flames. My icy blue eyes land on Zuko one last time before I turn on my heels and bolt. "Crazy jerk!" I nearly shout to myself. "Damn it!" I hear Zuko shouting amongst the chaos. I watch Zuko and his soldiers being attacked by the women dressed in green, they must be the legendary Kyoshi warriors. I hide behind a house, debating on my next move.

"Are you with them?" I hear a feminine voice demand an answer. My blue eyes lift to a tan girl with brown hair, dressed in a water tribe outfit. Her hand is drawn out with water floating in front of it, ready to attack. A water bender, huh? "No." My voice almost sounds ragged. She turns on her heels and runs off, whipping a soldier with her water. I smirk at the sight. A Kyoshi warrior lunges at me out of nowhere, I'm tempted to use fire bending, when i decide against it last second. I knock her arm to the side, leaving an opening for her face and chest. I open palm slam my hand against her chest, sending her sliding backwards. She throws a fan; I lean to the side, and spot her already coming at me again. I launch myself off the ground, doing a side flip, landing once more, throwing a large round house kick, my body shifting toward the ground as my foot flies high into the air, catching the back of her head. She stumbles forward. I jump into the air, pull both legs up, and rocket both of my feet into her back, giving me enough momentum to back flip off of her, and land on my feet, brushing the hair out of my face. She falls face down and doesn't attempt to stand again. "Woah…" I hear a male voice. I spin on my heels to face …. A man dressed in drag?

I let out a chuckle, "You want some too then, young lady?" "Hey, this is a Kyoshi Warrior outfit!" He shouts back, he lunges at me, but I easily dodge it and use my hand to shove him by the forehead pretty hard, and he stumbles back onto his ass. What a strange group of people. I dart out again, skidding to a stop when I see a young bald boy, with blue arrows all over him. He's fighting Zuko. He launches into the air, sending a wave of harsh wind toward Zuko. My hair blows all over the place, but I'm too in awe to do anything about it. An…. An air bender. The last one. The Avatar. Zuko is trying to capture this kid? The Avatar makes his get away with the water bender and cross dresser. They're running for a large bison. My heart begins to pound. Zuko is trying to capture the avatar, without him, the world will not stand a chance. Restoring balance will be impossible. The Fire Nation will rule. I look at Zuko, he's pulling himself off the ground. I can see the pain this guy has gone through, what he feels he must do for his father. It's not good enough. I turn to see the young boy leap into the air. I bolt. Running as fast as I can after them. Fire Nation soldiers block their path to the Bison, they're trapped. They're looking around themselves, they're surrounded. I don't stop my sprint. I'm closing the gap between us.

I let out a loud grunt as I leap into the air and kick one soldier's helmet right off of his head, and launch him into the soldier beside him. I throw my whole body into the next one, my shoulder going right into his stomach, leaving a gap for the 3 of them to burst through and continue toward the bison. The brown haired water bender looks back momentarily, as if she's concerned for me. The soldiers latch onto my arms, pinning them behind my back, I struggle, but there's too many and I can't break free without fire bending, so I do nothing but watch the three get onto the bison. The water bender is waiting, watching me. Soldiers are closing in on her, "GO!" I yell at her. She climbs onto the Bison and that thing lifts up into the air and literally begins to fly. I have never seen anything like it. Zuko comes sprinting up, "You let them get away!" Zuko shouts, he sounds desperate. "You're supposed to be helping me! Lock her away!" Zuko cries, turning quickly to head back to the ship. The soldiers begin dragging me back to the ship.

As I reach the deck of the ship, I hear a gentle voice, "Let her go." Iroh orders the men. They let me go and begin marching to their spots on deck. I rub my wrists. "You must come have some tea with me." Iroh motions for me to follow, and I do as I'm told, glancing back at the burning village, my heart sinks. Suddenly, the Unagi rises from the water, spraying the whole town with water, and smoke begins replacing flames. A small smile crosses my deep red lips. I turn and head inside to follow Iroh. He leads me to a small room with a small table and little cushions to kneel on. I kneel in front of the pot of tea and allow Iroh to pour me a cup. I hear Zuko's bedroom door slam loudly from down the hall. "I know my nephew's intentions are sometimes questionable. Capturing the avatar for the fire lord. There are some things about my nephew that you should know. "He says before sipping his tea. I take a small drink. "He has been banished by his own father, he feels as though he needs to restore his honor, and by capturing the avatar and bringing him to the fire lord, he feels that his honor will be restored. " Iroh says solemnly. I'm a little surprised, I hadn't been fully aware of the banishment, I knew of something like it, but I guess I hadn't known his own father had banished him. "Why was he banished?" I finally speak. Iroh thinks a moment, "In due time, my nephew will share with you what he's been through, I'm sure of this. I know it will take some time, but I can tell you two will be great friends." He sounds so sure of himself. I refrain from laughing. "He hates me." I say through a smirk. "It may seem so. Time passes, people move. Like a rivers flow, it never ends. A childish mind will turn to noble ambition. Young love will become deep affection." He rambles on, the last part startles me. Must be a saying. He rises and motions me to follow him to the edge of the now moving ship. He looks down to the water. "The clear water's surface reflects growth." He says, a smile creeping onto his face. "What are you saying?" I finally ask. I was starting to become confused. "Things change with time. He will not always feel so angry with you. And you will begin to understand him more. Just as he will begin to understand you more. You will understand his motives, why he is after the avatar, why it is important to him. We all grow and move on. Just as you have grown much from when you were a child." His hand glides in the air, motioning to the water. "Now listen to the serenade of water to reflect upon yourself." He says gently. I lean over the edge and see my wobbly reflection. "You must remind yourself of this every so often." He adds. I'm deep in thought, gazing at myself. I had changed a lot. I'm so lost in thought; I don't notice that Iroh vanishes.

As a child, I was treated as a slave for the royal family. My father had been a fire nation general, and fell in love with a beautiful water bender, my mother. When he had gone to raid the northern water tribe, he found her water bending instead of acting as a healer, which is tradition for the northern water tribe. They fell in love and gave birth to me, which didn't set well in the Fire Nation. My father was stripped of his title, and banished, leaving my mother and I to act as slaves, cleaning, cooking, anything the fire lord or his family could ever want. I was weak. I should have protected my mother. I'm stronger now, I'm braver now, and if I keep growing, I will be unstoppable. I wish I had just known this earlier, for my mother... Perhaps I did need to consider Zuko's side. "So Uncle talked with you too?" Zukos voice cuts the air, severing my thoughts. "Huh?" I'm startled. "He came and talked to me about that growing up stuff too. By the way you're so deep in thought, I thought maybe he talked to you about it too." He explains. "Oh, yeah." I nod slowly.

"There are reasons why I want to catch the avatar. Not only to restore my honor, but it's our duty to the fire nation." He continues. I cross my arms, "My duty lies elsewhere." I announce. "Where?" He questions. I stop. "I… I don't know yet. That's why I left, to find my destiny." I speak thoughtfully. "I know my destiny, it's to find the avatar. I can't have you screwing that up and letting him get away again." He says harshly. I turn away from him, leaning against the side of the ship. I can feel his stare on my back, but I refuse to turn back around. "I need to be able to trust you." His voice is softer. I turn back around after a short moment, my blue eyes resting easily on his face. "I mean, we need to be able to trust you. All of us." He corrects himself. "Okay, Zuko." I say, my voice is melodic, so much so that I think it startles even him slightly, because his face gets a little pink and he looks surprised. He nods, his face returning to normal, and turns to leave. He hesitates. "If you'd like a lesson on controlling your bending, you can stop by my room in the morning." He adds, before he continues walking. I watch him until I can no longer see him, and lift my gaze to the stars and the moon.


	4. The Fire Dance

**The Fire Dance**

My hand reaches out, closed in a soft fist. I hesitate just before touching the metal door. I listen, I hear nothing. Perhaps he's not awake. I'm also nervous, I can't find a reason for why I'm nervous to knock on his door, but I am. Fire Benders don't get nervous, they're strong and fearless. That's what I tell myself, over and over, throughout my life. My mother was a water bender; she was gentle and patient. She could be fierce though, when she chose to be, like how she chose to fight. I sometimes wish I was more like her, but I'm the opposite. I'm hot headed, impulsive. I'm also very strong willed and brave, though. She was also better at talking to people than I am; she always knew exactly what to say. Perhaps that's why I was a little nervous. I take a deep breath in, and knock firmly on the door. After a short moment, the door swings open; his emotionless face is staring back at me. Zuko's amber eyes look into my own blue orbs, almost as if he's thinking about something, either that, or he's agitated. "Come in." He says shortly. Perhaps he's annoyed that I disturbed him.

I step into the room, some candles lined up in a row on a platform. A mat is set out in front of it. I scan over it, and turn my gaze to him; it seems he's been up for a while now. He shuts the door and walks over to the mat sitting on the floor. He motions for me to sit, so I oblige as he sits beside me. We cross our legs almost at the exact same time. "This is an exercise to learn to control your bending." His words cut the silence that was lingering. "It's a breathing exercise; you meditate while you focus on the flame. With every inhale, the flame should mimic your breath, growing only slightly larger. With every exhale, only slightly smaller. It should be steady, like your breathing. Breathing is key." He explains, my blue eyes drift from Zuko, to the candles. I say nothing, my mind is racing, I have no idea how to do this. "Have you ever done any exercise like this before?" He asks, his eyes landing on me. I'm almost ashamed, "No. Never." I admit. "That explains a lot." He thinks out loud. I close my eyes, growing quickly irritated. "What's that supposed to mean?" I ask defensively, I see a small smile cross his face before it vanishes almost instantly. "That's why you're here." He answers. When I open my eyes, they land on his face for a moment, then they trace back to the flames. "I'll show you first. Then you." He continues.

Zuko's eyes close, his hands land on his knees, everything is still for a moment, almost as if time has frozen. When I listen carefully, I can hear his steady breaths, the flames following his breathing obediently. It seems simple enough. After a few minutes, he slowly opens his eyes. "Now you." He says calmly. I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly before my eyes flutter shut, and my hands slide to my knees. I take a breath in, "Ahh!" I hear Zuko shout, a heat wave hitting my face. My eyes flicker open quickly, the flames receding back to their original place, Zuko's arm covering his face. He drops his arm and stares at me wide eyed, "Sorry!" I blurt out. It's almost funny, though I don't mention that. "It's okay; just really focus on your breathing this time." He sounds surprisingly gentle. I close my eyes once more, letting myself breath for a moment before I zero in my focus on the flames. This time, it feels as though the flame is inside my chest, and although it's hard to keep steady, I do better this time. I'm unsure of when I should stop, so I keep going for a few moments, trying to keep the flames steady. I can tell they are wavering on the candles, but I still don't open my eyes.

"That's enough for today. You're getting better." His voice yanks me from my meditation, my eyes opening slowly. "How long was that?" I question, feeling slightly disoriented. "An hour." He answers simply. I put a hand to my head; it only felt like a short moment. He rises to his feet, extending a hand. I grip his hand and allow him to help me to my feet. "You really just need to focus on your breathing, keeping calm and collected. You will get better with more practice." He explains. I nod, "I guess I should be thanking you." I blurt out. He stares at me blankly, "It was your uncles Idea, to keep me here, to be trained." I announce. "You don't want to be trained then." He replies. I hesitate, "I don't need that much training… It's just hard to control sometimes. It's not a big deal." I let my pride sweep over me. He doesn't say anything, just watches me closely. "You seem familiar." He finally states. I turn away from him immediately, "I should get going then. Thank you, Zuko." I say before I exit his room.

I spend the rest of the day, and the next few days, either working out or training. Zuko and I spar sometimes, and other times, Iroh gives me insights on how to better my bending. We're headed for the earth kingdom, that's where we last heard the Avatar was, and it won't be long until we dock and start to search on foot. I'm still not sure where I stand on this whole ordeal. Iroh has treated me like family since I've been discovered, it's surprising. Zuko is Zuko… he's pretty distant, then again, so am I. I don't mind it. I sometimes wonder, in another world, where we were just regular teenagers with not a care in the world, if I would think of him different when I first saw him, or if we would be friends? Would he still be so distant? Would I? I shrug it off, it doesn't matter anyway.

We finally dock and exit the ship, starting our search, walking down a dirt road. We keep our eyes open for anything suspicious, and when night falls, Iroh suggests we make camp. I help set up tents while Zuko gathers wood for the fire. He lights it up with one flick of his hand, the fire burning bright into the night. A few soldiers sit a few feet away, Iroh shuffles over to them to take a seat, and they all have strange instruments, Iroh insisting that Zuko plays some sort of horn, which he of course, refuses. I can't help but giggle at the two bickering. I go into my tent and change into what I guess you could call pajamas, it's simply a black tube top shirt, and a long skirt with slits all the way up the sides, and dark red shorts underneath. I exit the tent; suddenly music plays through the crisp night air. I take a seat next to Zuko in front of the fire and listen to the music, a small smile playing across my lips. Zuko crosses his arms like he's not impressed. "Come on now Zuko, enjoy yourself." Iroh says before continuing his song. Zuko ignores him; I can't help but laugh out loud. The music is definitely lifting my spirits. I rise to my feet, "Dance." I say cheerily, "Dance?" He questions as if I'm out of my mind, his facial expression priceless. Generally, fire benders don't dance. It's actually quite unusual.

I take a few steps back, letting my body guide my movements. Flames light up my hands, spinning in a circle, I let the flames trail behind, creating a spiral around my body. I move my feet, my body following, as I lift a hand, creating a lotus like flame above my head. The petals separate like flying serpents, encircling me once more. My feet move and allow fire to rise on either side of me, another flame spiraling around the pillars of fire. My hands move like liquid, my eyes following the beautiful flames I'm creating, and my heart feels at ease. It's all coming so naturally, the beauty of fire is not something everyone can see. A circle or fire surrounds me at my feet, and grows tall around me, separating into pillars, then taking off like serpents once more, dancing around me. The song ends, I slowly pull my hands together in front of me, the fire slowly dissipating, leaving nothing but steam rising up around me.

My eyes drift back to the others; it's almost as if I had forgotten they were there. I'm smiling as Iroh laughs appreciatively, a few other soldiers hooting or whooping. A couple soldiers just look confused. My eyes land on Zuko, he's wide eyed, his mouth has dropped slightly, like he's surprised, or … I'm not sure what. I can't place that look on his face, I haven't seen it before. Our eyes meet each other for only a brief second, I'm smiling small now. His eyes dart away as he crosses his arms, "That's how you have fun, ever heard of fun?" I tease. "Whatever." He replies, and we all laugh, besides Zuko that is. After a while of chattering amongst ourselves, we retreat to our tents. As I'm lying down I hear Zuko and Iroh's soft whispering in their tent beside mine. "I've never seen anything like it, uncle. Especially not from a fire bender." Zuko is whispering. "Quite beautiful, wasn't it." Iroh replies dreamily. "It's useless." Zuko shoots back. "Beauty and fun are not useless things, nephew. Maybe _she_ can teach _you_ a thing or two." I can hear Iroh muffling a chuckle. Zuko says nothing in return. "What is it Zuko?" I hear Iroh speak again, hushing his voice. "There's something about her that I'm unsure of." Zuko answers. "You think she's beautiful?" Iroh questions. "No!" I hear Zuko defensively whisper back, trying to keep quite. I hear a muffled laugh from Iroh. "Shut up, uncle." I hear Zuko whisper in defeat. "Ooo-oohh I see." Iroh teases before they both fall silent. My stomach flips, hearing them talk like that. Does he think that? Do I think that of him? My face grows warm until I fall asleep.

 **In** **the morning** , we rise and pack up, changing back into my normal outfit before taking down my tent, although, the soldiers are requested to carry the packs. It's been a few hours, I avoid talking to Iroh or Zuko, I'm still unsure of what I heard last night, I fear my face will flush. "What do you say we take a break, I see some water, I think I'll make myself my own hot spring." Iroh thinks out loud. "Uncle!" Zuko protests. "Oh Zuko, you and Mieko stay here, I'll only be a moment." Uncle says before he wanders off to create his own hot spring. Zuko and I take a seat on a nearby rock. "Would you like to train?" Zuko offers, although, I can tell he isn't really aching to train, and neither am I. "No." I say. Silence wraps around us like a cold blanket once more. "What's it like, to be the fire lords son?" I ask without thinking. He sits up straight, eyeing me for a moment. "It can be hard. I'm the prince of the fire nation, everything I do has to be perfect, and I'm placed under a microscope. There's so much pressure placed on me, so much I have to do in the name of the fire nation. That's why I have to regain my honor, that's why I have to earn my place back in the royal family." He opens up; I'm shocked to hear an answer that describes how he really feels. I'm quiet for a moment, in this instance, my mother would know what to say, but I don't. "I'm sorry." I finally speak. He ignores it; he's leaning against his knees now. "My father can be cruel. He banished his own son because I spoke out of term." He continues, I can hear the pain in his voice, although he tries to hide it.

I'm silent for another moment before he speaks again, "What about you, where did you come from?" He questions. I hesitate. "From the fire nation, like you." I answer. He looks at me expectantly. I look back at him, he opened up to me, I can't give him nothing like this. I take a deep breath. "You don't remember me." I say softly. "Remember you?" He sounds confused. "My mother and I used to serve the fire lord. We cleaned your home, served you at supper, gathered supplies for winter. We did a lot of things, just like the other servants did." I finally say. It feels like my words will strangle me, they're hard to get out. I'm ashamed, I should have been stronger. He's silent for a long moment; his shocked expression isn't easily hidden. "That's why you're familiar to me." He says thoughtfully, almost shamefully. "I'm sorry." He finally says. My gaze darts from my hands to him quickly, did he just apologize? "Why? It's not your fault." I laugh awkwardly. "If it helps, I do remember you, now that you mention it. You were a lot younger back then. We were a lot younger." He answers. Silence falls upon us once more; I smile small, "Yeah, we were." I speak softly. "Where is the woman you were always with?" Zuko asks, "My mother." My voice softens at the thought of her. "She was your mom? You look so different." He eyes me for a moment, "I guess your face looks a lot like hers, from what I remember. Definitely the eyes too." He thinks out loud. I'm startled by how much he's speaking with me. "She's gone." My throat closes up on itself, and I cannot speak another word. Tears fill my eyes; I refuse to let them slip. I turn away, as though nothing is wrong, but he can tell. "I'm sorry. My mother is gone too." His words are laced with comfort, and I can't help but to turn back to him. "I'll go check on uncle. He's taking forever." He adds, rising quickly. He stalks off into some bushes.

What the hell? Did I really just have a conversation with Zuko like that? I would have never expected that in a million years. Banished by his own father, no wonder he wants to capture the avatar, to restore his honor, to earn his father's approval. What an asshole the fire lord was, even to his own kids. I cross my arms at the thought. That is his own journey though; I have my own journey to worry about. I hear Zuko shout to his uncle and come storming back. I raise an eyebrow, "He was naked." He explains briefly. I cover my mouth, stifling a giggle. "Where did you learn to fire bend?" Zuko questions out of nowhere. My face heats up quickly, "I watched you train, and Azula." My cheeks flush as I say this. He's surprised to hear this. "I had one man teach me hand to hand combat in secret, I wasn't allowed to learn to fire bend or fight." I explain further. "You're pretty good, for learning in secret." He replies. I nod in thanks, but say nothing. "Let's check on Uncle." He suggests.

We rise and walk back into the bushes, heading up a small hill where the hot spring is. When we arrive, there are rocks covering the spring, pointed upwards in fragments. Iroh is gone, and the water is cooled. Zuko and I look to each other and back to the spring, Zuko finally speaks, "He must have been captured by earth benders."


	5. Heart of the Fire Nation

**The heart of the Fire Nation**

The sun is scorching high above our heads as dirt floats up around our moving feet. "They couldn't have gotten far." I hear Zuko voice his thoughts out loud. I nod in agreement, "We'll find him." I confirm. It's been hours since we first started tracking Iroh, there haven't really been any solid clues, only scruffs in the dirt here and there. I find a stream nearby and I can't help but go off path to fill my pouch. "Where are you going, we don't have time for this." Zuko spouts, he sounds agitated. I scoop down to fill my pouch, feeling the water rush over my feet. "We need water if we're going to keep going. Your uncle will be fine, he can take care of himself, and we're hot on their trail. This will only take a second." I explain. He looks as if he wants to protest, but his eyes land on the stream, and he says nothing. I stand up straight, taking a long swig of the water, it tastes fresh. I smile and waddle out of the water, walking up beside him again, my hand extends to him. "Here." I insist. He hesitates. I place a hand on my hip. "Come on Zuko, drink." My head tilts as my eyes narrow. He snatches it from me and drinks the entire pouch before handing the withered thing into my open hand. My eyebrows raise, "Zuko." I whine. "You told me to drink." He says, almost mockingly. I give him an approving look before I turn to head back to the stream. A small smile creeps onto my lips as I fill the pouch once more, exiting back onto the path where we begin to walk again. I hook the pouch to my hip, "Next time you can share a little, you know, if it suits you." I let sarcasm lace my voice. "I'll try to remember." He answers, just as sarcastic as me, yet his tone is serious. I let a mischievous smirk cross my face momentarily. The smirk fades when we spot something in the middle of the dirt path. We both run for it, closing the distance between us and the sandal lying in the road. I watch as Zuko picks it up, "Is it his?" I ask. He leans forward, smelling the thing. He immediately pulls back, a disgusted look covering his entire face. "Oh yeah, that's definitely Uncle's." He manages to sputter. I cover my mouth with my hand, stifling a giggle. "Let's go then." I encourage.

We immediately pick up our pace, grateful for the clue Iroh has left us. We spot some earth benders up ahead, and stop and hide to be more discrete. I barely make out what they're saying; they want to crush his hands? Zuko is running now, a large boulder hovering above Iroh's hands. I follow right behind, running as fast as I can. Zuko kicks the boulder away just in time, and with one swift movement, he kicks down hard onto the chains, breaking Iroh free of his restraints. "Nice moves." Iroh compliments Zuko, "I learned from the best." Zuko replies. I skid to a stop beside the two, lighting my hand up and letting a large fire ball blaze toward an earth bender, who is easily knocked out. Iroh and Zuko easily take out two more. A rock comes hurtling at my face, like fluid, I move around the rock. Swirling my hands up and around to gather a large amount of fire, I use both hands to jolt it forward with a loud and angry grunt. The earth bender throws up a rock wall, which Iroh smashes with a lit fire fist, Zuko slides in, kicking the earth benders chin with a lit up kick. Zuko finishes the man off by a knee to the stomach and another lit up kick, sending the man flying into some shrubs with an angry cry. We all let the tension ease and suddenly, "Now will you please put some clothes on!" Zuko shouts. I put a hand on my hip and let out a relieved sigh and giggle.

 **The next thing I know** we're back on the ship and sailing in earth bender territory. There was a sighting of the avatar not too long ago, and of course that sent Zuko into frenzy, doing everything he can to catch up, to find that weird flying bison. I'm out on deck, my hands gripping the sides. We're headed toward fire nation territory it seems, and although fire nation is my home, I'm not necessarily dying to get back to it so quickly. Zuko isn't welcomed there either; I can only hope the avatar isn't headed there. What is he insane? He can't be going in that direction. "There he is, follow that bison!" Zuko commands. Soldiers scatter in every direction, smoke billowing from the ship in attempts to move faster. My heart begins to race; I can only secretly hope we don't catch him. My blue eyes land on Zuko's determined face, guilt floods over me. I turn away, rubbing my arm nervously. That's when I see it, the barricade of fire nation ships. A small gasp escapes my lips; Iroh is coming up beside Zuko. "Sailing into Fire Nation waters ... Of all the foolish things you've done in your sixteen years, Prince Zuko, this is the most foolish!" Iroh nearly shouts. "I have no choice, Uncle." Zuko explains. Iroh's brow creases, his expression worrisome. "Have you completely forgotten that the Fire Lord _banished you_? What if you're caught?" Iroh persists. Zuko pulls the telescope he had been peering through away from his face, "I'm chasing the Avatar! My father will understand why I am returning home!" Iroh steps forward, "You give him too much credit. My brother is not the understanding type!" Iroh warns.

"There they are! Helmsmen, full steam ahead!" Zuko shouts. A flaming ball is loaded into the catapult, my gaze immediately drifts to the flying bison, my brows furrowing. Iroh fans his face, "Uh, really Prince Zuko, couldn't you shoot them down with something more fragrant?" he says in exasperation. The fire ball is blasted into the sky, narrowly missing the bison. The catapult begins to be reloaded. The barricade of ships grows closer, "Technically you are still in Earth Kingdom waters. Turn back now and they cannot arrest you." Iroh insists. "Please Prince Zuko! If the Fire Nation captures you, there is nothing I can do! Do not follow the Avatar!" Iroh pleads. Zuko closes his eyes, his hands forming fists, "I'm sorry uncle." He says softly before jutting his head and fists upwards, "Run the blockade!" Zuko shouts. Suddenly there are several fire balls hurtling through the air toward the bison, but one perfectly aimed shot, crashes into our ship. The ship wobbles and creaks at the impact. I nearly fall over but I catch my balance. Black smoke spews from the ship, a soldier hollering to Zuko that we need to stop for repairs, but Zuko is relentless. "Keep moving!" He commands. "Zuko!" I shout angrily. We will all be killed at this rate. "Stand aside!" He hollers at me. My eyes catch onto a fire ball heading point blank at the bison. My jaw drops, I'm useless, there's nothing I can do.

A young bald boys leaps from the bison, smashing the fireball with a powerful air bending move, I'm left in awe. He's powerful, for a kid. I feel a twinge of relief flood over me, but only momentarily. The bison with the three travelers makes it through the blockade. Our small ship is crawling toward the blockade, I hold my breath. We pass right through, the blockade allowing us to pass. A man watches Zuko as we pass, Zuko staring right back at him. "Who is that?" I question, must be someone important. "Commander Zhao." Iroh responds. "What's he up to uncle, why didn't he arrest me?" Zuko's confusion consumes him as he storms back over to us. "Because he wants to follow you. He knows you'll lead him to the prize you're both after: the Avatar." Iroh replies. "If Zhao wants to follow a trail of smoke, then that's exactly what I'll let him do." Zuko says slyly.

"Uncle, keep heading north. Zhao will follow the smoke trail, while I use it as a cover." Zuko orders. Iroh grunts as he strokes his beard, unsure of this plan. I step in, grabbing hold of Zuko's shoulder as he's placing a smaller raft onto the water's surface. "I'm going with you." I demand. "No, you messed this up last time!" He nearly shouts in frustration. I cross my arms. "You don't have a choice!" I nearly shout back. "There's no time." Iroh prompts behind us. "You aren't coming." Zuko states as he crawls into the smaller raft. I step one foot inside, "Try to stop me then." I say dangerously, my eyes narrowed. Rage is building inside me; I'm ready to fight this guy if he tries it. "Whatever just get in the boat and don't mess this up!" He hisses at me. The little boat gets pushed off and we begin sailing after the bison, barely able to make out the flying creature behind all the black smoke. I refrain from coughing, covering my nose and mouth with one arm as I squint against the smoke.

We reach land and immediately hop out of the boat, running up to the temple that the avatar has entered. There's a window we can get through up a little higher. I boost him up and he begins climbing the side until he's through the window, and races off without waiting. I grunt in frustration as I back up, and sprint toward the wall, running up it a few steps until I'm able to snatch onto a rock sticking out and strain myself to climb the rest of the way to the window. I pull myself through and begin running up the steps after him, but he's so far ahead. I skid to a stop, hearing a young girl shout, "Aang, now's your chance!" But it's too late, Zuko has the young avatar restrained. "The avatar is coming with me!" He shouts. I'm frozen, the choice between saving the avatar and betraying Zuko, or helping Zuko rages inside me.

The young girl and what seems to be her brother are being chained up; Zuko is trying to take Aang back down the stairs. "Close the doors, quickly!" Zuko commands the fire nation sages. No one has spotted me; I'm looming in the shadows. Suddenly, Aang catches Zuko off guard, and sends him flying down the stairs. "GO!" The young water tribe girl hollers to Aang, the avatar. One sage has nearly snagged Aang's foot, without thinking I burst out, shoving the sage to the floor, before Zuko can manage to get back up the stairs and spot me. Aang flies through the doors just in time, the doors sealing behind him. I'm not sure what the hell I walked into, but I know whatever is behind that door, is important for the avatar. Zuko appears again, him and the sages send four fire blasts to the door, attempting to open it. It doesn't budge. "Why isn't it working, its sealed shut?" Zuko says in frustration. "It must have been the light, avatar Roku doesn't want us inside." A fire sage speaks up.

"What a moving and heartfelt performance. I'm certain the Fire Lord will understand, when you explain why you betrayed him." Commander Zhao steps from the shadows, slowly clapping, antagonizing us. "And Prince Zuko. It was a noble effort, but your little smokescreen didn't work. " Zhao adds. Zuko scowls sharply, Fire benders step behind him, seizing his arms. Two more snatch my arms behind my back, although I'm not sure Zhao even knows who I am, just that I'm traveling with Zuko. "Two traitors in one day, the Fire Lord will be pleased." Zhao taunts. "You're too late, Zhao! The Avatar's inside and the doors are sealed." Zuko retorts. "No matter." Zhao Grins confidently. "Sooner or later, he has to come out." The words loom in the air. Zuko and I are chained to a pillar, our arms pressed against each other. It seems like an eternity has passed before the door creeks. "Fire!" Commander Zhao shouts. "No Aang!" The water tribe girl cries.

What happen next shocks all of us. My mouth drops open, its avatar Roku himself. He bends the fire being blasted at him, shooting it powerfully back toward us, melting the chains off of Zuko and I, and the two water tribe kids. "Avatar Roku is going to destroy the temple, we have to get out of here!" A fire mage shouts. Zuko and I turn on our heels and begin running for it. I hesitate, turning back to look at the three of them, Avatar Roku transforming back into the young boy. The young girls blue eyes meet mine, and for a moment, I want to run to them. "Mieko!" I hear Zuko shout. I turn back to him, but my eyes drift back to the girl momentarily, her worried gaze on me still. My eyes soften, in the split second decision, I turn away. It isn't time. Zuko's hand is out stretched to me, I grip it tightly, and he pulls me along, running as fast as we can in this crumbling temple. The stone beneath me crumbles, my weight shifts as I'm falling, I let out a small cry when I suddenly stop, rocks falling all around me. I look up, my hand is still locked with Zuko's, and he's on his belly, gripping my hand tight. Almost effortlessly, he hauls me back up onto the stair case, where we begin sprinting. We burst out the doors, running to the small boat and tumbling inside of it, landing on top of each other as the temple crumbles into dust.

I'm laying over Zuko's stomach face down, my shoulder digging into the bottom of the boat. I prop myself up, gasping for air. He sits up and I slid onto my butt, Zuko's panting, pulling out his telescope, spotting the avatar escaping on the bison. His brow furrows. His eyes land on me, I'm rubbing my head, and it's a little tender. "Are you okay?" He asks, a mystery tone coming into his voice. "I'm fine. Thanks for… back there." I mumble. He takes my hand away. "You're bleeding. Let's get out of here and fix you up." He says calmly. How is he so calm after all that? I nod, pink sprinkling my cheeks, realizing he's still gripping my hand, through all of that until now. He lets go immediately, trying to cover his blush. We both let out a sigh and push the small boat away from land.


	6. Side Story: Christmas Celebrations

**Christmas Celebrations**

 _(This particular story is set in a completely different time period than where my current 'Avatar Last Airbender: The Fire Nation Prince' stories are at right now. I'm just doing this Christmas special for fun. It doesn't fit in with the story line right now haha. Perhaps this is in the future…? Ehh? Ehh? Haha. Anyways, on to the side story!)_

Soft oranges, magenta, and beautiful purples splash the sky, creating a spectacular sunset view. The chilled winter breeze glides across my face, causing me to sniffle. I pull my water tribe parka tighter around me as I shiver; it was given to me long ago by my mother, who was a water bender. I approach the pile of sticks that looks about ready to be lit. I hear the voices chattering now, "Zuko or Mieko can just light it Sokka." I hear Katara say matter-of-factly, a hand on her hip as she eyes her brother Sokka digging through a bag. I hear his faint, inaudible muttering as a sock goes flying from the bag he's searching through. Suki covers her giggle with one gloved hand. "Yeah we don't even need matches!" I hear the familiar cheery tone of Aang pitch in. "Sure, just volunteer us for everything." I see Zuko cross his arms, although I can tell he's merely teasing them. "Well, you do owe us." Toph chimes in. They all stop and laugh together.

I stop my footsteps; the thin layer of snow leaves a trail of foot prints right up to me. I went to fetch some fresh water from the stream not too far from our camp. I can't take another step forward, my blue eyes scanning over the group of people that I've grown so close to… they're my family now. I don't know where I'd be without them… and this all started with me stowing away on Zuko's ship. At times, I didn't think I would make it on our journey, but each of us has been there for one another. Although our journey has taken us far… it isn't over yet. The breeze blows more hair across my face as I stand and watch them, and my mind takes off again. Ever since father was banished, and mom passed, I had nobody. No family. No friends. I was truly alone. And then I found Zuko and Iroh. And then I found the rest of them, Sokka, Katara, Aang, Toph, and Suki.

"Where's Mieko? She isn't back yet?" I hear Katara ask, the question brings me back to earth. I'm sure she'll start to worry if I take much longer, a small smile lays softly on my lips at the thought, and my feet are able to move again. I reach a hand up and wave to them, "Hey, I'm back." I call out before they can respond to Katara. Zuko is the first to approach me, I smile to him. "Hey." Zuko stands in front of me now. I glance over his shoulder at Zuko who is raising his eyebrows up and down quickly with a ridiculous grin on his face, staring right at me. He makes a kissy face, and flutters his eyes; my face grows hot, regardless of the chilly air. I make a face that demands he 'shut up' so to speak, and stick my tongue out. Zuko raises an eyebrow as he whirls around, but Sokka is too fast. He quickly looks down to his nails as if he were bored. Zuko looks back to me expectantly. I raise my hands defensively with a sheepish grin and shake my head, "Oh, n-nothing!" Is all I manage to say. He smiles at me, surprisingly, and walks back with me to the group.

"Alright, I've got the water. Let's make some soup!" I announce. "Alright! I'm starving." Toph exclaims, "Isn't that Sokka's line?" Suki jokes. We all giggle as Sokka raises a hand to protest, but quickly realizes it's an accurate question. I unhook the pouch from my hip and pour water into a pan that is sitting on a little rack we jimmy-rigged out of twigs above the fire pit that Toph had easily made a hole for. Zuko lets a small burst of flames out from his fingers, his hand extended, and pointing two fingers at the pile of branches we collected. The fire lights up and soon, we've managed to concoct some sort of vegetable soup. The sun disappears as the stars start to come out of hiding, the moon rising in the sky. We all sit on rocks and logs surrounding the pit. Each of us gets a bowl and begins to eat, chattering amongst ourselves. "Well, it's finally Christmas Eve. What do you guys do for Christmas?" Katara pipes up. "Back at the Northern air temple, we used to have a huge race around the temple! We didn't exchange gifts though, we didn't believe in that tradition. We just played games and spent time together all day." Aang excitedly explains first. "My family showered me with gifts." Toph says triumphantly. "It was more of a formal thing in my family. A large dinner with lots of important guests." Zuko says, as if it's nothing. "For us, it was a whole village event where I'm from. We would gather in one place and share different dishes we had each made ourselves." Suki says thoughtfully. "Remember grandma? She would always cook a huge pot of stew, and gave everyone in the village some! Then she would take us out to see the northern lights, and give us a little gift that she had made." Sokka says, particularly to his sister Katara. Katara lights up, "Yeah! One year she made me a little doll, and you a little soldier. We used to love playing with them." Katara says through her reminiscing mind. I think about Christmas, before mom and dad were gone. "Before my parents were gone, they used to play little games with me. They would sneak us out of the royal home late at night, and we'd get to watch the fireworks. They'd buy me one thing from the festival every year." I say dreamily. In the years after that though, Christmas was just another day that accentuated the pain of my lost mother and father. This year though… it wasn't that way. I felt as though I were with family.

"…You guys really are my family now." I say out of the blue. "Of course we are. We're a family now." Katara adds. My eyes light up, I look to Katara. "Yeah, is that even in question?" Sokka says in his usual silly tone. Zuko stays silent, but Katara notices. "Even you, Zuko." She says in a playful tone, but she's serious, and he knows it. He smiles small, Sokka nudges Zuko with an elbow and mutters something his way with a sly grin. Zuko's face turns a pink shade as he uses his palm to shove Sokka's forehead, sending Sokka fumbling onto his back. "Hey watch the soup!" Sokka shouts dramatically. Toph giggles at whatever they said, damn her for being able to hear better than me!

As I'm finishing up my soup, Sokka leaps to his feet, "We better hurry or we'll miss the fire works!" Everyone rises to their feet, we heard over to the hill top. I stop behind Katara and Aang, as Sokka and Suki stop beside them, Toph stopping beside me. Zuko comes up to the other side of me and stops, we glance to each other quickly, he gives me a quick reassuring smile, and we all turn our attention to the star lit sky. Down below the hill, snowy fields pan out, we are far enough away from town to be hidden securely, but at least close enough to see the fireworks that they'll light off in celebration of the holiday. Everything is still and silent for a long few moments, and then, ' _boom!_ ' There's an eruption of beautiful colors scattering the sky. "Ooo" We all say unanimously, besides Toph, that is. "Wow that's so beautiful." Toph says, sarcasm lacing her words. "I know, isn't it?" Sokka says in a dreamy state. He waits a second before it hits him, "Hey." He says, his voice lowering three octaves. We all begin laughing, I can't help but let the laughs flow, this moment is perfect, and I wish I could stop time and stay in it forever.

More fireworks erupt in the sky, sending blues, reds, yellows, oranges, even purples into the sky! Some of them spiral, some of them create shapes like some sort of planet, and some just stay in perfectly round circles in the sky. I glance over to Zuko, I see his face being lit up by the fireworks every few seconds, flashing against his skin. Suddenly his eyes glide over to meet mine, my face feels prickles surge over it, my heart skips a beat, as if I weigh nothing for a short moment. I rip my eyes from him quickly, searching the skies once more. I lean closer toward Toph, "There are red spirals, blue orbs, and yellow lights, like a volcano eruption in the night sky." I say softly, I feel bad she can't see them, so I want to explain how beautiful it is to her. I see a smile slide onto her pale lips; she continues staring straight ahead, "Now there's some purple splashing across everything, and orange lines just zinging across the sky." I say happily, excitement is surging the words forwards. "I know I can't see the fireworks, but I came to experience this with you guys, to be part of the moment. I'm glad I have you guys, you're my family now. Thank you." Toph says to me, the small soft smile still stuck on her face. My eyes immediately search her face; my heart feels as though someone dipped it in marshmallow goo, as cheesy as it sounds. "I'm glad I have you too Toph, you're all my family now too." I say softly back. We both smile and listen as the fireworks slow, and stop. Suki's head is against Sokka's shoulder as we stand in silence for a short moment, "Woohoo!" I let the sound escape my lips as I begin clapping my hands together. "Yippee!" Aang shouts, soon after, everyone else chimes in, clapping and cheering. Even Appa and Momo let out their cheers of appreciation.

After we have finished celebrating, we head back over to camp, where everyone begins getting the sleeping bags to place in their tents. I'm rolling my sleeping bag out in my tent when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I spin around to see Zuko, "Oh hey Zuko." I say in surprise. "Will you walk with me?" He questions. I nod, a million questions swarming my mind. "Sure." I reply. We walk away from camp, everyone else is inside their tents, or sitting outside of them chattering, so they don't notice we leave. Our foot prints trail behind us, side by side, the soft crunching of snow beneath our shoes is the only sound we make. We reach the hill top where we were, just 30 minutes earlier. "What's up, Zuko?" I question, I'm unsure of what he wants. It wasn't unusual for us to go off alone together, and not just Zuko and I. I had done this plenty of times in the past with each of our group. Katara and Toph especially, as I was very close to the girls.

Zuko's gaze locks onto me, the breeze brushing strands of long hair across his face softly. "I know we weren't supposed to give each other gifts, but…" He trails off, his gaze breaking away to look down. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a beautiful golden bracelet that fits up just under your shoulder and around your upper bicep. He extends his hand toward me, my heart flutters at the sight, my cheeks growing slightly warmer. I grip the cool metal and pull it closer for examination. There's a black dragon carved into it, twisting and spiraling around the golden coil shaped accessory. On the inside there's an inscription, I squint to see it clearer. _"Beauty and Prosperity"_ My eyes widen at the sight, the meaning of my name. My blue eyes dart up to him, he's watching me carefully. "It's both your name, and what you are." He says carefully. I'm so taken off guard; it takes me a minute to speak. "Zuko… it's beautiful. Thank you." I finally manage. My face flushes momentarily, his face softens, almost as if he's relieved and happy. I take my arm out of my parka sleeve, slip it on and slide it all the way up under my shoulder, it fits perfectly. I smile brightly, feeling warmth glide over me, "I got you something too." I say quickly, pulling my arm back into the sleeve, and slipping a hand into my parka's pocket. My fingers wrap around a cool metal object, and I pull it out, extending my hand before I slowly open it, revealing a small round locket, with a small hook for pinning it to things if he wanted. His eyes widen and his mouth opens as if he's stunned, he hesitates before he picks up the locket and opens it. Blood rushes to my face, it's so cheesy and I feel embarrassed now, but I can't back out of it now. My eyes dart to the floor as he examines the inside. On the right side of the locket, there's a black and white photo of us. My arm is around his shoulders, my hand draped in front of his chest carelessly, my other hand is held up in a peace sign, and I'm smiling wickedly. Zuko is standing with his arms crossed, trying to hold back a smile, so only a tiny smile is displayed on his face. On the left of the inside, there's the Japanese symbol meaning honor. I finally peak at his face; his eyes are glued to me now. I hope he isn't offended by the honor symbol. "I placed the symbol of honor there because… because I think what you have done earns the highest level of honor, doing the right thing despite all those against you. I think you display honor in every way and I-" I'm blurting all of this out, I'm worried he's offended. I knew this was a bad idea.

"Thank you." He stops me. I freeze, my eyes looking up to him, his hand closes around the locket tight as he steps forward. We're an inch apart now, "Y-you like it?" I'm surprised to hear myself stumble like this, it's unlike me. "It means everything to me." He says so assertively that relief floods over my whole body. My blue eyes land on his hazel ones, "Just like you." His words flutter off his lips, yet it's solid, like nothing can ever change it. He leans in and our lips greet each other, his arm wraps around my waist, pulling me against his chest. My lips form against his, and even though it feels as though I'm dancing with fire and kissing a hot stove, it doesn't hurt. It keeps me warm and makes me feel at home for the first time in years.

For the first time in years, I really am home. I'm finally learning home is not a place, it's wherever your heart is, and wherever the people you love are.

 **Morning comes** and I awake to the shouts and jeers of my dear friends. "Merry Christmas!" I hear everyone cheering. We all come to sit around a fire once more, Zuko sitting next to me and wrapping an arm around me as I lean into him. Today will be a long relaxing day of playing games, sharing lessons of bending, sharing foods we will each make, sitting down to dinner with each other, watching the northern lights, and perhaps… sneaking into town to see the festival. And there's nothing I'd rather do, and no one else I'd rather be doing them with.


	7. The Water Scroll

**The Water Scroll**

 _CLANG!_ The sound rings out as my boot connects with the soldier's metal helmet. _Clink ssshhhhk._ The helmet greets the ship floor and skids before Uncle Iroh's Pai Sho game. His surprised expression is complete with a couple quick blinks. I land light on my feet and hop back a few times; my hands grow hot with fire. The soldier is taken off guard, stumbling to catch his balance. "Hah!" I shout as I send fire barreling toward the man, hitting him square in the chest, sending him flying onto his back with a loud thud. "Nnnggh.." I hear the man groan. I let my guard down and walk up to his side, a smug grin sliding across my face. "Beat ya again." My words are like salt, sprinkling into his wounded pride. The man mutters something inaudible, clambering to his feet. "Despicable performance soldier, you need more training. Retire to the hall." I hear Zuko's voice call out, the man continues muttering, shuffling off deck. Zuko removes the small vest he was wearing, he's now shirtless, in his pants and boots. "Train with someone who actually has skill now." Zuko says confidently. "Who's that?" I shoot back, a wicked smirk accompanies my chuckle. "Huh!" I hear him shout, and fire narrowly misses me as I leap to the side. He comes again, fire blasts come one after the other. I manage to dodge a couple, and finally plant my feet. I hold up my hands, and curve my hands around one of his fire blasts, moving like liquid to send it flying back. He manages to stop it with more fire. "The way you move is strange." He spouts. It's true, at times I had picked up movements from my mother, who was a water bender. It hadn't affected my fire bending, though. I step a few feet closer, trying to shorten the distance between us. He lights up a fire wall between us, I can't make out his movement, but I see the fire ball just in time, and use my forearm to break the flame. I push my palms out, feeling the fire wall deep in my chest; I'm connected with this wild force of nature. I exhale long and it separates with a quick movement of my hands.

I take one step forward, but suddenly, my balance is ripped from me. The very floor beneath me has shifted, I stumble forward and crash into something that feels like a hot stove. Though, it doesn't burn me like it would most people, after all, I'm a fire bender. I latch onto it to keep my balance, finally able to plant my feet firmly once more. What is this damp thing I'm latched onto? "Ugh." I let out a soft sigh, my eyes dart up. Zuko stands strong in front of me, although he has stumbled too, his arm latched onto me, the other out to his side to stabilize himself. My eyes grow wide and I straighten quickly, his arm falling away. "Did you have to latch on to me!?" I blurt out, blood rushing to my face quickly. "Me!?" He questions, rightfully so. But I won't admit that. I dust my pants nervously, and cross my arms, "Yes you!" I answer, the nerves talking for me now. I can still feel the dampness of his body on me, my face feels like I've stuck my head into a pot of boiling water. He gives me a look through furrowed brows, yet averts his gaze. "Someone's changing our course." He hisses before he turns on his heels and storms off.

I curiously follow to see what has changed our course. Zuko storms over to the man steering the boat. "What is this mutiny? No one told you to change course!" He angrily spouts. "Actually, someone did. I assure you, it is a matter of utmost importance, Prince Zuko." Iroh says as he scratches his beard. Zuko's eyes light up, "Is it something to do with the Avatar?" He says hopefully. Iroh shakes his head, "It seems, I -I have lost my lotus tile." Iroh says, rubbing his forehead in distress. He then moves a tile across the Pai Sho board. Zuko seems confused, his brow furrows. "Lotus… Tile?" Zuko questions. "For my Pai Sho game. Most people think the lotus tile insignificant, but it is essential for the unusual strategy that I employ." Iroh explains casually. Zuko is stunned momentarily, "You've changed our course for a stupid lotus tile?" He nearly snarls. My eyes glide between the two. A.. pai sho tile? What on earth? Iroh glances up to his nephew, "See, you, like most people, underestimate it's value. Just give me ten minutes to check the merchants at this port of call. Hopefully, they will have the lotus tile in stock and I can get on with my life." Iroh says, without a flicker of urgency. Zuko breathes fire up at the ceiling in anger and Iroh smiles. "I'm lucky to have such an understanding nephew." Iroh says cheerily. The room begins to fill with smoke; I cough, waving a hand in front of my face and exit the room.

 **In the market** after we've docked, we continue the search for Iroh's lotus tile. We haven't had much luck, but I've found some pretty interesting stuff. Of course, I didn't buy anything. My eye catches a glimmer of cold, and I stop. "So beautiful." I say through a small smile. It's a golden coil accessory that fits up just under your shoulder and around your bicep. There's a black dragon engraved into it. It's too expensive though, so I put it back down and walk away from the item, still thinking about how neat it would look on me. I meet up with Iroh and Zuko. "I've checked all the shops on this pier. Not a lotus tile in the entire marketplace." Iroh sighs. "It's good to know this trip was a complete waste of time for everyone!" Zuko's on his last nerve. Iroh holds up a figure with a smile, "Quite the contrary. I always say, the only thing better than finding something you are looking for…" some crew members begin to walk past carrying Iroh's purchases. "…is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!" Iroh exclaims. A soldier walks past us playing a tsungi horn. My eyes widen at the site, and dart over to Zuko. "You bought a tsungi horn?" Zuko says in complete awe. "For music night on the ship. Now, if we only had some woodwinds… Oh, this place looks promising!" Iroh says, pointing to some sort of ship, perhaps belonging to a pirate. There's a monkey statue sitting outside, it's quite funny looking. "Oh, that is handsome! Wouldn't it look magnificent in the galley?" Iroh babbles on, Zuko growing more and more infuriated by the man.

"We lost the Water Tribe girl and the little bald monk she was traveling with." Zuko and I hear the words at the same time, and whirl around to see a pirate speaking to his captain. "This monk, did he have an arrow on his head?" Zuko quickly questions the men. Iroh turns around, making a face similar to the monkey's, making me want to giggle, but I quickly avert my attention back to the men.

Zuko and the pirates agree to help each other, Zuko would help retrieve the water scroll, if they helped him catch the boy with the arrows. We launch a smaller boat down the river. "Mieko." I hear Zuko's voice slip into my thoughts. I lift my gaze to him. He's extending his hand with something in it. I lift my eyes to meet his, "Take it. I noticed you didn't have any wrist guards." He says as casually as he can. I take the metal plated wrist guards that come up to my first knuckles, but not over my fingers, and end half way to my elbow. I pull them on quickly, "Why did you-" I start, Zuko stops me, "I need you healthy and ready to aid me in my quest." He says almost coldly. I sigh softly, my eyes move to watch the water rush past, the breeze flutters through my hair. I'm not sure what's going on, but I have a feeling the time is coming where I will have to choose sides. It used to be easy for me, I needed to help the avatar when possible. It's harder now, I feel guilty. Perhaps I'm attached to Zuko and Iroh… maybe there's something more.

"Hey pretty lady." I hear a goofy voice come from behind me. I turn to see a long haired pirate with a toothy grin, a gold tooth glimmering in the star light. "Huh?" Is all I manage. "How's about when this is over we go back to my bunk on the ship." He says boldly. "How about we don't." I answer plainly. "ooo, feisty. I like 'em like that." He says, arrogance coats his words. I roll my eyes and look away from him. "Should we stop to search the woods?" I hear someone ask. "We don't need to stop. They stole a water bending scroll, didn't they? They'll be on the water." Zuko replies. That's when we hear scuffling, Zuko pulls me aside. "You and I will get off here, the pirates will pull the boat ashore a little ways ahead.

Zuko and I wade through the water, tip toeing through the woods until we spot the water tribe girl, peering through the bushes at the pirates. One tries to grab her but she manages to escape with a water whip. Zuko is too fast, and snatches her by the wrists, "I'll save you from the pirates." He says darkly, her brows furrow in fear. Zuko ties her to a tree, and I knew this time would come. My eyes land on Zuko, tracing his features. I look down at the bracers he's gifted me. My heart leaps at the sight of them. I care about Zuko and Iroh now, whether I like it or not.

"Tell me where he is and I won't hurt you or your brother." Zuko's harsh words rip me from my thoughts. "Go jump in the river!" Katara shouts furiously. Zuko glances down momentarily, "Try to understand. I need to capture him to restore something I've lost, my honor." Zuko speaks truthfully, and I feel guilt grip my heart tightly. "Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost." Zuko continues, holding up a water tribe necklace. Katara's eyes widen, "My mother's necklace! How did you get that?" She demands. "I didn't steal it, if that's what you're wondering. Tell me where he is." Zuko replies, pointing to Katara. "No!" Katara shouts back just as fast. "Enough of this necklace garbage! You promised a scroll!" The Pirate captain interrupts. Zuko holds up the scroll, lighting a fire in his hand and holding the scroll above it, "I wonder how much this is worth ... " Zuko taunts. The pirates gasp in horrors, all eyes locked on him. " A lot, apparently. Now you help me find what I want, you'll get this back, and everyone goes home happy. Search the woods for the boy and meet back here!" Zuko orders. It's times like these when I get confused… the way he carries himself, the way he has the upper hand always, the way he talks, something inside me stirs and my cheeks flush. The situation though, is strange… and I feel stuck. "Fine." The pirate captain says before they disappear into the woods.

Katara's eyes finally catch my looming, and her eyes narrow, her glare is piercing me. I tilt my head, a smirk playing onto my lips. Sure, I'm not against them necessarily, but when I get challenged like that, something in me changes, and I'm almost not the same person. She struggles in her restraints, I cross my arms. The pirates finally return with the avatar and the water tribe boy. "Nice work." Zuko compliments. "Aang, this is all my fault." Katara speaks to the avatar. "No Katara, it isn't." Aang reassures the girl. "Yeah, it kind of is." Iroh says thoughtfully, Katara glares at Iroh harshly. I stifle a chuckle. "Give me the boy." Zuko demands from the pirate captain. "You give us the scroll." He shoots back.

"You're really gonna hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment?" I hear the water tribe boy speak up. Zuko glances between them, "Don't listen to him, he's trying to turn us against each other!" He exclaims. "Your friend is the Avatar?" The captain asks the water tribe boy. "Sure is, and I'll bet he'll fetch a lot more on the black market than that fancy scroll." Sokka says in a matter-of-fact tone. "Shut your mouth, you Water Tribe peasant!" Zuko hollers in frustration. "Yeah, Sokka, you really should shut your mouth." Aang mutters. "I'm just sayin' it's bad business sense. Think how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar. You guys would be set for life." The water tribe boy continues. The captain turns to Zuko suddenly, "Keep the scroll; we can buy a hundred with the reward we'll get for the kid." He says as they turn to leave. "You'll regret breaking a deal with me." He says coldly, him and two of his soldiers send a blast of fire at the pirates, I leap in, throwing a fist forward as well, fire blasting toward them. The pirates jump back and another runs out, throwing smoke bombs and jumping into the cloud as we all begin to brawl. I try squint against the smoke, sending flames at any visible pirate I can see.

I'm yanked off my feet, I let out a grunt as I land on my back. The smoke clouds thicker around us, "Hey pretty lady." I hear the familiar voice, and fist greets my face, I struggle as he clambers on top of me "Can't refuse me now, can ya?" He says through a toothy, hideous grin. I grunt loud in frustration, my vision starts going black at the edges. He's sitting on top of me now, he leans down with puckered lips, and suddenly, his weight is off of me I sit up, gasping for air. I barely make out Zuko beating this guy to nearly a pulp, he's one fire blast away from killing him, and he's about to do it. I jump to my feet and snatch Zuko's arm. "Zuko, the scroll!" I remind him, as to take his mind off this poor bastard, although, he very well deserved it. Zuko's eyes scan me for a short moment, before he disappears again. Damn did he look pissed. I finally find my way out of the smoke.

"Are you so busy fighting you cannot see your own ship has set sail?" Iroh shouts, causing the fighting to stop. "We have no time for your proverbs, Uncle!" Zuko hollers back. My eyes drift to the shore, spotting the pirate ship sailing away. "It's no proverb!" Iroh shouts, pointing to the ship. "Bleeding hog monkeys!" The pirate captain screams out loud. Zuko begins laughing, point to them. He holds his stomach, though I'm too busy watching the pirates board Zuko's ship. "Zuko!" I finally shout over him, his boat is being hijacked by the pirates. "Hey! That's my boat!" Zuko shouts angrily, sprinting to catch them. I watch him run, coming up beside Iroh. "Maybe it should be a proverb ..." Iroh ponders. I let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing the back of my head. "C'mon, Uncle! Mieko!" Zuko shouts, Iroh running after him. I begin sprinting after the both of them, spotting the waterfall up ahead. Aang and Katara manage to create a whirlpool, which I'm astonished by, but… no one else seems to care. It only stalls them for a moment before Zuko's boat crashes into it, causing both ships to fall over the edge of the water fall. The three travelers leap onto that weird flying bison, managing to escape.

"My boat!" Zuko shouts in exasperation, his face dropping at the sight. Iroh chuckles, "Prince Zuko, you're really going to get a kick out of this. That lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!" He explains with a chipper grin on his face. I cover my mouth with a hand, my eyes wide, locked on Zuko. Zuko pauses, almost as if he can't register what Iroh has said. Suddenly, he snatches the lotus tile and furiously throws it down the waterfall with a livid shout. I place a hand on his shoulder; the gentle touch vibrates through my hand. He immediately stops, letting out a long breath and looking down to the river, I extend my other hand, and surprisingly, he grasps it. His hand is much larger than mine, I close my eyes and send the best comforting vibes I can muster, like my mother used to do. He lets out an irritated sigh, I smile small, it might be working.


	8. Growing Pains

**Growing pains**

I examine my bedroom on the new ship we managed to nab. Luckily, on the port we were left at, some incompetent fire nation soldiers docked, leaving the ship with only 4 guards that were easily taken out and tossed overboard. Zuko insists that we need it more than them; I only laughed about the ordeal, suckers. My eyes land on the desk, my mother's wedding ring lie there, a silver chain looping through it to make a necklace. I gently pick it up, examining the water tribe markings. My thumb runs over the engravings. "Mieko." A voice breaks my concentration, my blue eyes flit up to see Zuko barging through the door. I grip the necklace tightly, "Oh, Sorry if I interrupted…" He mutters, I begin to pull my hand down behind my back, "No, you aren't…" I start, and then I surprise myself. I hesitate for a long moment before I raise my hand back up, opening my palm where the ring lies. My eyes soften at the sight of this beautiful memento of my mother. "… It belonged to my mother." I say softly. Zuko says nothing for a moment, out of my peripheral I can see he is standing still, expressionless.

Finally, he steps forward, closer to me, his eyes scanning the thing. "It's beautiful." Is all he says. Even so, that surprises me. I smile small, "Yeah, it is." I sigh. "The saddest thing, Is she could have been saved." Words spill out of my lips before I can stop them. Tears brim my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. He is silent for a long moment; he places a hand on my shoulder, almost as if he is attempting to comfort me. "Tell me." He says softly, though, it doesn't sound like a demand. "My mother and I worked for the fire nation. She grew very sick; she needed to see the doctor. When we took her to a fire nation doctor, they refused treatment…" I close my eyes, my brows furrowing in anger. My jaw clenches as I speak again, "Because she was a water bender." I spit these words, drenched in anger.

Zuko's emotionless face watches me again, "...I know who that doctor is." He says, matter-of-factly. My eyes pop open, darting up to his face, "You… you do?" I stammer. He nods, "When I was a kid, there was one doctor for the royal family, and the servants. I remember his name, and I know where he is." He explains further. For a moment, I'm speechless. "You must tell me!" I demand, my heart pounding in my chest. "Dr. Yenshi. He's in the Earth Kingdom now, where he left to go live the rest of his days in peace." Zuko says, his eyes scanning me up and down. He can see the look of determination on my face, only one thing is on my mind. Revenge. And he knows this. "I'll take you." He says, his words are cold, but I know he's giving up time searching for the avatar for this. None of that matters to me, only the anger boiling in my chest, rising to my cheeks. "Thank you, Zuko!" I blurt out, I take a step forwards quickly, wrapping my arms around him and squeezing tight, my cheek pressed against his chest. He's rigid for a moment, frozen in place.

I feel his arms engulf me, "I understand what it's like to lose your mother." He says, flitting, as if this were a dream. He releases me quickly after the words leave his mouth, my arms falling away in return. Without another word he leaves the room. I wonder what he wanted in the first place? I put the necklace around my neck, tucking the ring underneath my shirt. I lie down in bed, vanquishing the candle with an outstretched hand. I can only try to get some sleep, after learning that I will finally have revenge after all these years.

 **I awake the next morning** , I sigh, I'm a bit tired from restless sleep, but the thought of bringing that doctor to justice fuels me. I exit the room, walking out on deck, I notice we aren't moving. I briskly walk to the edge, noticing a soldier anchoring down the ship, docking it securely. "Good, you're awake." Zuko says from behind me. I whirl around to see him standing there, "We can leave as soon as you're ready." Zuko continues. I nod assertively, "Let's go." I reply. "Remember, forgiving someone isn't for the man in the wrong… it's for you, so you can move on." I hear Iroh say as he stops beside me. My brows furrow, and I turn away. We exit the ship and begin to walk down a dirt path toward a small town. "What do you intend to do with him, once you find him?" Zuko's question hangs in the air. "Give him what he deserves, and what has been long since over-due." I growl, the anger flares up again inside me.

Zuko nods in agreement. "If my mother or I would have known… maybe it would be different." Zuko speaks cautiously. "It wouldn't have been. Azula knew of this and did nothing." I spout back. "It doesn't matter." I say in defeat. Zuko's eyes widen at the mention of Azula. "Azula knew?" He says in disbelief. "Is that so hard to believe, Zuko? Your sisters a malicious crazy person, who enjoys watching people suffer." I say, anger lacing each word. Zuko says nothing in return, he must know it's true, he grew up with her, after all. We reach town, a couple kids come sprinting past us, giggling, and one chasing the other. Zuko stops at a vendor, I follow behind him. "Where is Dr. Yenshi?" Zuko demands. The aging man behind the cart raises an eyebrow; he lifts a hand and points, "That way. In a little shack near the river." He obliges. We turn away without another word; my heart is racing in my chest. I'm so close to coming face to face with the man who let my mother die.

"Are you ready?" Zuko asks me as we approach the river, a small shack is growing closer and closer. I nod once more, "Definitely." My voice nearly startles me, it's sinister. We stop at the door step, I can feel my hands trembling, and a fire in my chest is erupting. Zuko raises a hand to knock, but before his knuckles can connect with the door, I plant one foot and launch my other into the door, knocking it off one hinge so the door is hanging lop sided as it slams open. An old, grey haired man, looks up, startled, his eyes as big as the moon. "Wh-wha?" He babbles. My whole body grows as hot as the sun. "You!" I growl, I'm gritting my teeth, my hands clenched in fists. "Do you remember me?" I question, the words dripping with a dangerous tone. "I-I… No, I'm sorry..?" He says, slowly rising to his feet.

"I'm that little girl whose mother you refused treatment, because she was a water bender. You killed my mother!" I shout, my hands glowing with fire now. I spot something clicks in his head, "You don't understand-"He starts. He remembers now. I let an angry shout escape from deep inside me. "You will pay for what you did." I say, my voice wrathful, dark, a low growl. I can't even see anything else right now; the rage is consuming the very fiber of my being, swallowing me whole. He launches a large fireball my way, darting out the back door. I immediately swipe the fireball off to the side, and charge after him. He's running pretty quickly, for an old man. I'm sprinting, launching a flame at him. "Face me!" I shout. He runs into the town, curving around a cabbage cart. I send a flame full blast, desecrating the cabbage cart as I charge through it. "My cabbages!" I can vaguely make out the vendors shout.

The old doctor pushes a cloth hanging in a door way out of the way, hoping to find escape in this house. I burst through, scanning the room; the man is disappearing up the stairs. I bolt after him, my hands still glowing with angry flames that get more and more out of control. I follow him as he crawls out a window onto a roof. He's pretty agile for looking so old! I launch a huge flame, ripping up some of the tile on the roof, Dr. Yenshi narrowly escapes by sliding down a water chute on the house, I launch myself off the roof, dive rolling to the dirt, I'm up on my feet quicker than he is, I close the distance between us, and grab him by the shirt, which turns black as my hand burns it. I shove him against the wall, my whole body is lit up in flames, and I can't control it.

Zuko comes sprinting into the alley way, he had been following this whole time? "I didn't kill your mother!" The man shouts. His words are fuzzy, I can't even understand him anymore, my fist is lit in a blue flame, ready to end this man. "Mieko!" I hear a sharp voice, very clear, cut through the air. A hand lands on my shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Zuko. "Stay out of it!" I holler at him. "Let him speak." Zuko commands. "I don't have to listen to you!" I cry, desperation is seeping into my voice. "I didn't kill your mother! I _wanted_ to help her, I was given direct orders not to, punishable by death." The old man sputters. I turn back to him, tears filling my eyes, "Liar!" I growl. "It's true, General Cheng wouldn't let me help any water benders that came to me. Even in your mothers' case, I begged him. He threatened my life, insisting they were fire nation orders." He speaks very quickly, his hands up in surrender. I'm frozen, tears spilling out over my cheeks, the rage still trying to consume me into an unreasonable being. Zuko's hand gently grabs my arm that is ready to launch a heavy blow. I turn to look at him through blurred vision. "Mieko. He's telling the truth. I know General Cheng. He worked for my father." Zuko's voice is oddly gentle, and the rage begins to subside.

"I know it's hard. You've waited a long time for this. But hurting someone innocent won't make you feel better." Zuko continues. My anger is suddenly replaced with an awful, crushing feeling; more tears spill over my cheeks, my grip releases, freeing the man of my wrath. I turn to face Zuko, my head tilted down, tears dripping to the dirt. Zuko places a hand on my shoulder, I have a sudden urge to hug him, most likely from the state I'm in right now, but I don't have to move, Zuko steps forward and wraps his arms around me. That's when all barriers fall down and I begin to cry into his chest. "I wanted to make the man who let her die suffer." I choke out. "We will. You have to be patient, we will find him." Zuko says reassuringly. I calm down, the hot tears staining my cheeks as I breathe slowly. I'm still engulfed in Zuko's embrace, but I remain there, it's safe. I feel his hand on my head gently momentarily, before he pulls away, crossing his arms, he's back to his usual self.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to upset your girlfriend here, it's just…" The old man begins, looking to Zuko, probably to intimidated to address me just yet. Zuko's face turns a bright shade of pink, noticeably so. "She's not my girlfriend." Zuko says assertively. My gaze is locked on the man. "I'm sorry." I finally manage to say through a ragged voice. "Not a day has gone by that I haven't thought of your mother. I felt so guilty, I still do. I should have helped her anyways, no matter the cost. I'm a doctor, after all. I've sworn an oath to help those in need." His voice is soft, guilt and sadness fills his every word. I watch him carefully, my brows furrowing. "I'm so sorry, young lady." I see tears fill his eyes. I place a hand on his shoulder, "I will find the man who did this, and I will bring him to justice." I assure him. "Oh, I believe you." He says. "Promise to help all those in need for the rest of your life, and there will be nothing to forgive you for." I urge him. His eyes lift to mine, "I swear to you I will. Good luck on your endeavors, Mieko. Thank you." His voice is grateful. I smile small at him and turn to leave.

Zuko walks beside me back toward the ship; my heart feels like it's in my stomach. My whole body is exhausted. "I promise we will find General Cheng, and you will get your revenge." Zuko's voice breaks the silence, my brows furrow, tears threatening to spill over again. I stop in place, but Zuko's hand reaches out to me. I take it firmly, and begin walking once more, my hand gripping his, my heart fluttering and easing back to its normal rhythm.

As we board the ship, Iroh's curious eyes watches us expectantly, but we say nothing as we pass him, and he says nothing in return, out of respect. Zuko walks me to my room, I stop at the door. "Thanks Zuko… for everything. You stopped me from making a horrible mistake." I say, my voice is tired, low, and barely audible. "I don't like to see you in that state. We should work on it." Zuko replies. I look at him, our eyes immediately connecting. I expect him to look away, but he doesn't. We gaze at each other for what seems to be an eternity, but is only moments; my heart feels like its skipped a beat. "Get some rest, you'll need your strength for finding the avatar." Zuko says, in his usual emotionless tone. I break eye contact and turn for the door, disappointment flooding over me. "You've had a long day…" Zuko adds. I half way turn and smile small at him before I enter the room and collapse onto the bed.


End file.
